Bryan Midtown Open House: In Case You Missed It

A public open house was held on Wednesday, August 7, 2019 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at the Harmony Science Academy Gym to update residents on the progress that has been made on the Midtown Area Plan. In case you were not able to attend, here is the information that was presented:

Project Background

Rich in history, the arts, education, and commerce, Bryan’s undeniable potential is showcased with the opportunity for master planned development and redevelopment of Midtown. Boundaries include South Texas Avenue and Finfeather Road from the Bryan/College Station City limit line to the revitalized historic Downtown, a Texas Cultural District. The Midtown area is a premiere landscape for significant sustainable development that can accommodate growing demand for quality housing, commercial services, restaurants and entertainment offerings while enhancing the existing neighborhood fabric along this important corridor.

The City of Bryan has embarked on a proactive planning process to tackle the challenges and unlock the opportunities in the Midtown area. The plan will be the principle guide in promoting orderly growth, development and redevelopment of the Midtown Bryan area, with recommendations to include changes to standard zoning districts and recommendations for the creation of new districts to help maximize (re-) development potential, with the main goal of helping strengthen the future of the corridor as a contributor to the great quality of life Bryan, Texas is known for providing to citizens and visitors alike.

The study area includes approximately two-square miles surrounding the Travis B. Bryan Municipal Park property from historic Downtown Bryan to the city limits shared with the City of College Station and adjacent to the Texas A&M University, generally bounded by Finfeather Road to the west and South Texas Avenue to the east.

Videos

Public Outreach

To our Bryan Midtown Community,

The Midtown Plan Advisory Committee, City Staff, and MBL Architects have been working very hard to ensure that our community members are as involved as possible in the Midtown Project. We are so grateful to those who have responded to our many outreach efforts. The questions, comments and concerns raised during this process have in some cases, sent us in new directions, and we hope that the community will continue to take ownership of this Midtown Plan as it progresses. Thank you again and PLEASE contact me with any additional thoughts, questions, concerns, or ideas.

How the Message Has Gotten Out: Public Outreach Statistics as of June 10, 2019

3

Public workshops (with 265 attendees)

7

live interviews on radio and TV

16

news articles about Bryan Midtown

280+

citizens on email list-serve for updates

375+

total Midtown survey responses

2,700+

meeting invitations letters sent to tenants and property owners (404 returned by US postal service)

5,000+

visits to the Midtown Plan website (www.bryantx.gov/Midtown)

9,800+

Facebook “impressions” to publicize Midtown Plan meetings and website

Survey Results

Of those surveyed, 92 percent agreed they are “Glad to see the City engaging in a proactive process for planning and development” of Midtown. All survey results below are as of June 20, 2019. This survey is still open and the information below will be updated once the survey is formally closed.

Where Do Survey Respondents Live?

Where Do Survey Respondents Work?

This survey is open to everyone who is interested in the future of Midtown. We are particularly interested in the responses of those who live and/or work in the Midtown area, but responses from others who shop, recreate, and receive services in Midtown have an important voice as well.

Why Do People Visit Midtown?

Knowing what draws people to a place helps us know what the existing assets of the area are, while revealing what gaps could be filled in the market. It appears as though a large draw for those coming to Midtown in based on utility items like grocery shopping and filling up a tank of gas. The next draw is recreational for those visiting restaurants and bars in the area. The current draw to visit existing parks or utilize services is very low at this time.

Satisfaction with Status Quo (broken down by district)

Above you can see the reaction of respondents when thinking about the way Midtown is right now. There was a lot of indecision from respondents on how to answer this question, but for those who were able to decide there was a clear lack of confidence in the satisfaction with how Midtown has developed. With some clear guidelines for development, based on what the community clearly indicates as desirable for Midtown, the area should be able to meet more of the expectation of the community than it does at this current time.

What Methods of Transportation Should Be Added or Improved? (other than cars)

The top response regarding which transportation improvements to prioritize was sidewalks from 88% of respondents. This was closely followed by a clear desire for either a bus or trackless trolley. These two responses are similar in scope, so each response for either the bus, trolley, or both was combined together. 33% of respondents at least wanted a bus system in place in Midtown, while 38% of respondents specifically preferred the trackless trolley. 12% like the idea of both a bus and trolley in place, totaling in 83% of respondents who like the idea of a bus or trolley. Many respondents prioritized bike lanes or a bike share program and noticeably fewer respondents wanted to see a priority for paid car sharing programs.

What Beautification Standards Should Be Prioritized in Midtown?

The community clearly stated that landscaping is a priority in Midtown, followed by improving the facades of the buildings that can be found in the area. The lower priorities from the respondents were parking lots and signage. This information will help how to move forward in considering partnership programs for business owners and which street improvements to focus on.

Share With Us on Social

Social Media Hashtag : #BryanMidtown | Join the conversation by using #BryanMidtown across social media to share your vision.

Guiding Principles, “Experience Districts,” and Goals for Each Area of Midtown

Midtown Planning Area Definitions

Experience Districts: A focused planning area which incorporates physical, cultural and social realms to align and advance a desired way of living, working and playing while clearly distinguishing the unique personality of an area.

Influence Area: While not in the core planning area, these areas will need additional attention as they have influence on and are influenced by the adjacent experience district.

General Aligning Principles: Midtown Planning Area

A dynamic and aesthetically pleasing South College Avenue Corridor: One that links a revitalized downtown Bryan to a dynamic Midtown and acts as the economic engine for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Complete, connected and safe neighborhoods: Areas with convenient access to the goods, services and a wide variety of housing that meets the needs of all ages and abilities. This includes sidewalks and trails, as well as street improvements that enhance the aesthetics and experience of Midtown.

Future neighborhood infill development: Development that is context appropriate, compatible with existing adjacent structures and addresses needs of projected future demand. This approach takes into consideration the concerns of current residents while continuing to open investment opportunities in Midtown.

Opportunities to reuse existing structures whenever feasible: A mix of appropriate new development and upgraded current buildings offer a resilient economic approach to the district while cultivating the authenticity of a visually unique area of Bryan.

Alignment of the cultural, social, legal, financial and institutional structures: Alignments that lead municipal strategies and foster appropriate development to ensure all actions maximize a positive impact.

District 1: Gateway District

District 1: Gateway District

This district is a mix of the existing Downtown and the emerging Midtown experiences and acts as a transition between the two areas.

Enhanced Aesthetics: Coordinate design and implementation of streetscape and gateways along South College

Repurpose and Densify: Prioritize development on repurposing light-industrial and warehouse space to be used to attract artists, makers, etc., encourage mixed-use and multi-family residential and recruit adjacent neighborhood-oriented services and clustered food/hospitality concepts

Art & Culture Focus: Develop public art corridor and look to recruit arts organizations to the area

District 2: Railyard District

District 2: Railyard District

The district experience is driven by a walkable neighborhood feel that looks to the adjacent baseball park and north park edge as major assets.

Dynamic Neighborhoods: Promote residential development and neighborhood repair efforts to include a dynamic mix of single family, duplex and small apartment houses appropriate to enhance the current neighborhood fabric

Play Ball I: Strengthen connection between the surrounding neighborhood and the Bombers baseball stadium in the North Park Area

Influence Area 2a: Focus on mixed-use and small format multi-family residential

Influence Area 2b: Use well designed green space and repurposing of existing buildings to buffer the adjacent neighborhoods against the visual nuisances associated with the industrial zone along Finfeather Road.

District 3: Park District

District 3: Park District

This district is strongly influenced by the proximity to Bryan Regional Park and therefore has three distinct sub-districts to address the unique challenges and opportunities within this pivotal area.

Eyes on the Park: Prioritize park-facing development to create a dynamic and active park edge

Enhance Accessibility: Enhance accessibility to park and surrounding neighborhoods through walking and biking to minimize local vehicular traffic , as well as design additional crosswalks, bike-protected lanes, wider sidewalks, on-street parking and other street calming tools

Cultivate Hubs: Recruit mix of local, regional and national destination food and hospitality concepts, and create appropriate hubs to service park and surrounding neighborhoods

Coordinated Development: Minimize large, single use parking lots and partner with private development to align parking needs, facilitate public/private agreements to share infrastructure costs on new development and create regulations that remove barriers for quality redevelopment

District 3: Park Sub-Districts

Play Ball II: Reinforce connection to the Bomber baseball stadium with focus on recruiting neighborhood-oriented services with small format and food/hospitality concepts clustered near the field

PARK SOUTH

Enhance Neighborhood Fabric: Continue to address the development of stealth dorms within the neighborhood, including on-site parking and lot maintenance, through code revisions that also provide opportunities for compatible small lot single family and attached-family residential where appropriate

Intentional Development: Allow development of park-facing parcels along Villa Maria near intersection of South College for well-designed mix of hospitality and services, along with detached residential and attached small format multi-family

PARK EAST

Foster Commercial Corridor: Provide an integrated shopping, dining, office and multi-family living options along South College corridor

Improve Streetscape: Street improvements on South College should balance pedestrian, bike, and automotive traffic to create more connectivity between park and surrounding neighborhoods

Influence Area 3a: Future development should provide transition between the Park East sub-district with focus on densified commercial and multi-family between South College and Texas Avenue.

Influence Area 3b: Development should follow Park District General Aligning Principles to enhance adjacent park, help aesthetics of Finfeather Road and minimize visual impact of rail line and adjacent industrial area

District 4: Union Hill

District 4: Union Hill

The Union Hill District experience is oriented towards unique culinary, entertainment and service options that provide value to the surrounding neighborhoods, attracts customers from around the region and provides tourism brand building experiences.

Focus Development: Recruit additional business mix of restaurants, supportive retail, and entertainment clusters along South College Avenue and Old College Road. Focus multi-family housing along the South College Avenue corridor and guard neighborhoods just off South College Avenue corridor from context-inappropriate development

Influence Area 4a: Redirect medium density housing and large multi-family projects to more appropriate areas identified throughout the Midtown Planning District

District 5: North of Northgate

As the gateway between College Station and Bryan, this district should be driven by an enhanced residential experience that takes advantage of the proximity to the services and amenities of both Union Hill District and College Station.

Cultivate Strong Neighborhoods: Focus new development on maintaining a complete neighborhood fabric that may include small format retail, corner stores, paired housing, attached single family, and small apartment houses

Concentrate Development: Higher density office/commercial and larger multi-family projects should focus on direct adjacency along South College Avenue Corridor and College Main Street

Influence Area 5a: Multi-family housing should remain a primary focus that reinforces a more pedestrian experience along College Main and auto oriented ingress/egress off Wellborn Rd.

Background and Statistics: A Market Opportunity Summary

Bryan / College Station, TX is economically healthy, with strong employment and household growth, as well as historically low unemployment rates. The region’s economy is anchored in Government and Education, paired with rapidly growing sectors such as Professional & Business Services and Leisure & Hospitality. This thriving economy will help drive long-term value across the region.

The Midtown Opportunity

Midtown presents a unique opportunity for Bryan and the region to offer this wide array of missing-middle housing that has garnered limited attention in the past few decades. The district’s strategic location between vibrant Downtown Bryan and the growing Texas A&M University campus, paired with public improvements to enhance access, public utilities, and pedestrian experience help solidify the area’s long-term appeal for new housing development. As the area adds new households and additional spending potential, small-scale commercial investment becomes more attractive, making the delivery of neighborhood services such as coffee shops, pharmacies, doctor offices, boutique neighborhood markets, and more, financially feasible for commercial operators that rely on high foot-traffic and convenient vehicular access.

Not Just Student Housing

The City of Bryan in particular illustrates promising potential, with recent trends indicating that Bryan will likely lead the region’s future household growth. Though the growing student body in the area draws a large share of attention, households aged 35 to 44 and over the age of 65 are actually the fastest growing segments within the City of Bryan. Furthermore, the region’s focus on aligning industries with Texas A&M, Blinn, and high school curriculums could help encourage more post-graduates and young professionals to remain in Brazos County after graduation. All of these factors indicate a need for a broader variety of housing to meet the life stages of the diverse households and families living in Bryan and Brazos County. Whether it is young professional roommates seeking a space to rent near employment/entertainment, a newlywed couple purchasing their first home, a family upsizing to account for their growing children, or empty nesters looking to downsize into a lower maintenance home, all households need access to attainably priced housing that is aligned with their lifestyle and priorities.

Affordability and Home Sizes

Lower levels of new housing supply during this real estate cycle has significantly pushed home/land price appreciation in the region. In 2011, approximately 75 percent of home sales in Brazos County occurred below $200,000, in 2018 that same home price band accounted for less than 37 percent of home sales.

A potential near-term solution to the affordability issue hindering the region’s growth potential is the delivery of smaller homes for households that require less space. Across the country, homes are getting larger and more expensive despite demographic shifts towards smaller households, especially among millennials and baby boomers, which represent the majority of active homebuyers. This discrepancy between demographic and housing trends could be addressed if builders, developers, and homebuyers were given the tools necessary to deliver the housing that they or their neighbors seek.

Strong Growth Potential

Overall, the City of Bryan and the region’s strong growth potential, favorable demographic trends, Midtown’s unique characteristics, and the right toolkit will help drive new residential and commercial development across the Midtown District.

Zoning and Development: What Changes Could Come From the Midtown Area Plan?

During the Bryan Midtown planning process, the community has been very involved through online surveys, public workshops, stakeholder meetings, and one-on-one exchanges. The changes that arise from this plan will be clearly aligned with the principles created and shaped throughout this process and the continuous feedback from the community that the City and consultant team have received. The purpose of the recommendations that arise from this process are to:

Added flexibility to South College development standards

Recommended infrastructure improvements on South College

Increase connectivity within Midtown to take pin-point pressure off of certain areas and improve overall traffic flow

Diversify transportation options, including walking, biking, and other vehicle based options

Beautify key corridors in Midtown with landscaping and improved design

Organize development to be harmonious with the surrounding community

Team and Vision

It takes a community to make great places work and this project is no exception! There will be numerous opportunities for you or your organization to get involved and participate in the process. The Midtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (MPAC) was appointed by Bryan City Council on November 13th and includes:

Local business owners and real estate developers

Representatives from the Bryan Business Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, City Council, City staff, and neighborhood organizations

Representatives of local trade, tourism and economic development groups

Consultant Team Support

Miller Boskus Lack – Team Project Lead

Miller Boskus Lack Architects is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Our cross disciplinary team includes Architects, Urban Designers, City Officials, Interior Designers, Mixed-Use Development Experts, and LEED Accredited Professionals, as well as a suite of partners with experience in Zoning / Ordinance Writing, Civil Engineering, Economic Development, Grant Writing, Public Engagement, and Plan Implementation.

Why Were We Interested in This Project?

Midtown Bryan is uniquely positioned to bring together all the wonderful things that make a city like Bryan thrive. From an emerging downtown, to a new park, to academic services, and beautiful established neighborhoods, Midtown has the capacity to both connect and host regionally significant amenities. Through this process, we hope to empower local residents – giving them the tools they need to make each neighborhood in Midtown the best version of itself.

Infill Group

Located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Infill Group is a planning and development firm which helps clients create resilient neighborhoods through real estate development, placemaking projects, careful code amendments, and local workforce training.

Why Were We Interested in This Project?

Midtown has incredible potential and the people we are working with are committed to making Bryan better for all its residents.

Velocity Group

Located in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Velocity Group works closely with clients to discover their unique DNA of Place™, approaching each project with a comprehensive experience design filter that integrates form, use, economy and story. We do not offer a “check the box” approach. Our process is incremental and begins with discovery, ensuring human and capital resources are committed with clear goals and expectations. The Velocity Group has worked all over North America, helping municipalities, non-profits and private developers craft the big vision, engage and align community stakeholders, and launch realistic and economically grounded actions.

Why Were We Interested in This Project?

Helping communities uncover and celebrate their unique stories, culture and sense of place is our passion. The opportunity to work alongside the citizens of Bryan in this process of designing and strengthening the elements of the Midtown experience is an honor.

R+T Studio

R + T Studio is a real estate development and consulting company located in Bryan, TX and is committed to building places that are economically productive, fiscally disciplined, and locally based. Every one of our projects seeks to build the local economy through the use of local capital, labor, and financing to support the growth and flourishing of local citizens.

Why Were We Interested in This Project?

I’m excited to be working on this project because Bryan is my home. It’s where I live and work, and it is so rewarding to be able to be a part of a project that is going to make my community better.

RCLCO

With offices in Washington, DC; Austin, TX; Los Angeles, California and Orlando, Florida, RCLCO has been the “first call” for real estate developers, investors, the public sector, and non-real estate companies and organizations seeking strategic and tactical advice regarding property investment, planning, and development since 1967. RCLCO leverages quantitative analytics and a strategic planning framework to provide end-to-end business planning and implementation solutions at an entity, portfolio, or project level. With the insights and experience gained over a half-century and thousands of projects–touching over $5B of real estate activity each year–RCLCO brings success to all product types across the United States and around the world.

Public Hearings Notice

Tax Rate Notice

The City of Bryan adopted a tax rate that will raise more taxes for maintenance and operations than last year’s tax rate. The tax rate will effectively be raised by 5.84 percent and will raise taxes for maintenance and operation on a $100,000 home by approximately $34.77